October 4, 2017…

October 4, 2017

Helma Geerts

Policy Advisor

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Policy Division, Food Safety and Environmental Policy Branch

1 Stone Road West, Floor 2

Guelph, Ontario N1G 4Y2

Dear Ms. Geerts:

RE. EBR Registry # 013-0968: Release of draft Agricultural System mapping and Implementation Procedures for consultation

I’m writing on behalf of our family who owns and operates a 52-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm business on our 70-acre property in the Town Of Caledon. Our parents purchased the farm in 1966 when it was located within Albion Township, County of Peel. In 1974 the area was renamed the Town of Caledon, in the newly-formed Region of Peel and in 1979, we found ourselves within the Palgrave Rural Estate Policy Area (since renamed the Palgrave Estates Residential Community.)

I have participated extensively in the consultation of the two provincial initiatives (the Greater Golden Horseshoe-wide Natural Heritage System for the Growth Plan Area and the GGH-wide Agricultural System) that stem from the recently released Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2017). In my opinion, OMAFRA’s proposed Agricultural System is an excellent step forward to begin to re-define an economic, social, cultural and ecological future for the rural countryside. The Agricultural Systems approach signifies that OMAFRA understands that a region like the Greater Golden Horseshoe demands a more nuanced and flexible approach to agriculture to, in part, satisfy the increasing demand for locally-produced foods.

In light of this, the recent step taken by the Region of Peel at their September 14, 2017 Council meeting to request that the Province remove all lands within the Palgrave Estates Residential Community from the candidate lands category is very troubling. As well, I understand that this area has received prior planning approval to be excluded from the Prime Agricultural Areas and Rural Lands designations. This action taken by Region of Peel Council demonstrates their lack of understanding of what is actually happening on the ground within the rural parts of the region, i.e. the Town of Caledon.

While the Palgrave Estates Residential Community is unique within the Countryside Area designation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (it’s the only place within the ORMCP area where new rural estate development is permitted), it is much more than just land waiting to be subdivided into estate lots. It is comprised of a mosaic of existing land uses including single-family residences, active aggregate mining, public lands held by conservation authorities and farms. The types of agricultural activities within this ‘residential community’ run the gamut from cash-cropping to large-scale dairy and cattle operations, small livestock holdings, several horse operations and a small scale CSA operation. Adjacent to but outside the Palgrave Estates area is a 200-acre organic farm plus many other agricultural operations that reflect the diversity of this part of the GGH.

The Oak Ridges Moraine landscape is by its nature different from the flat till plains for a number of reasons: the soil types are less fine-grained and more susceptible to erosion when natural cover is removed or when fields are left exposed over the winter and springtime runoff; the fields are smaller and fragmented by hedgerows, forests and stream and river crossings; there are hills and valleys that make cultivation more difficult and which are not suited to the operation of large scale farming equipment. The farming culture and community make-up of rural countryside areas has changed but our collective ethos remains rooted in a bucolic past.

An interesting case in point – we bought the land from Fran Robinson, whose family had lived and worked this land since the 1800s. He was the last family farmer to live and work on the farm; his description of the property as “not a good farm because of its hills and deep creek that cuts the farm in half” belies the 100 years that his family had been able to live and prosper on this land. I suspect he thought it poor because it couldn’t transition to the scaled up version that adapted to global pressures and cheap energy. What’s of interest is that the 50 years of our family’s stewardship including many 10,000s of trees planted, fields left undisturbed and wooded areas only lightly managed, have created a rich tableaux upon which we are able to layer a successful small-scale farming operation.

Our property, while “not a good farm” when compared to those that operate in the flat till plains to the south and north of Caledon and in the western and southwestern parts of the region, is “a good farm” here on the Oak Ridges Moraine. And it has the potential to be replicated across the Oak Ridges Moraine and other landscapes that are truly trying to integrate social and ecological systems in a fundamentally sustainable way while growing good, healthy food for local consumption.

An important part of the Agricultural Systems approach must be in recognizing this and building a responsive policy framework. Sustainable livelihoods and rural prosperity, encompassing more than merely conventional agriculture, are key components of a healthy rural countryside ecosystem, as is recognition of the potential for small-scale farming to be a part of the local countryside economy.

Therefore, we recommend on behalf of our family and prospective new small-scale farmers, the following:

1.That the Province not support the Region of Peel’s request to have all lands within the Palgrave Estate Residential Community excluded from the candidate land layer of the Agricultural Land Base, and

2.That the Province investigate, with the possibility of rescinding, the prior approval granted to the Region to exclude all lands within the Palgrave Estate Residential Community from the Prime Agricultural Area and Rural Lands designation of the Agricultural land Base, and

3.That the Province support the Town of Caledon to undertake a local LEAR assessment for lands within the Palgrave Estate Residential Community and other lands within the Oak Ridges Moraine that might qualify, and

4.That the Province work with the Region of Peel and the Town of Caledon to establish a working group to explore opportunities for small scale farming within the protected landscapes of the Oak Ridges Moraine, Niagara Escarpment and Protected Countryside Areas.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment. I’d be happy to answer any questions you my have and I look forward to discussing this further.

With best regards,

Debbe Crandall

Co-owner Mount Wolfe Farm

[Original Comment ID: 211110]